Starting March 23rd, the BCPL Facebook page will feature daily match-ups of your favorite literary characters for YOU to vote on!
You have until the 23rd to turn in a bracket to the Main Branch for a chance to win a book featuring the winning tournament character and a free personalized library card!

Download your printable bracket and tournament rules below or pick one up at the Main Branch!

]]>http://thebookplace.org/madness/feed/0Couch to 5Khttp://thebookplace.org/couch-to-5k/
http://thebookplace.org/couch-to-5k/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 19:20:03 +0000http://thebookplace.org/?p=15701Continue reading →]]>Along with all of the great library resources that get patrons minds racing, BCPL now offers a 5K training course to get their feet racing, too.

The 7-week training course begins March 10, and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday at the Main Branch. Class begins at 6 p.m. The last date of the training course is April 23, leading up to the 3rd Annual Love Your Library 5K on April 24.

Couch to 5K is led by trained and experienced instructors. The training course is designed for every level of experience; from first time 5K participants, to experienced runners who enjoy the company of like-minded, exercise enthusiasts.

Patrons interested in attending are advised to wear proper shoes and attire for exercise.

Registration is only $10 for BCPL card holders; $15 for non-card holders. Fee includes entry into the 3rd annual Love Your Library 5K. Pre-registration is not required, but strongly encouraged.

For more information about Couch to 5K and Love Your Library 5K, contact Kellie Nunley at (606) 329-0518, ext. 1810.

]]>http://thebookplace.org/bcpl-district-march-2015/feed/0BCPL: There’s an app for that!http://thebookplace.org/bcpl-theres-an-app-for-that/
http://thebookplace.org/bcpl-theres-an-app-for-that/#commentsFri, 07 Feb 2014 21:11:42 +0000http://thebookplace.org/?p=15119Continue reading →]]>Want to renew a book or place on one hold? There’s an app for that.

Need to know how late Boyd County Public Library is open on Fridays? There’s an app for that.

BCPL just launched a mobile app that puts all the great features and services of the library at your fingertips, on the go. You can instantly tap into library resources from any mobile phone or tablet connected to the internet – anytime, anywhere. How cool is that? We think it’s really, really cool.

“Everyone lives on their mobile phones these days, so it’s important for the library to be easily accessible whenever and wherever people need access to our staff and rich resources,” said BPCL Director Debbie Cosper. “Our new mobile app puts library information just one click away with much faster access than going through a browser.”

One really cool feature is BookLook, which lets you scan an ISBN barcode anywhere you are to see if the library has that title. So, if you are at a bookstore and see something you like, why not scan the barcode, see if BCPL has it, and then borrow it for free?

“We encourage everyone to take advantage of this new way to use the library by downloading our app today,” Cosper added.

Searching the library’s catalog with the app is super easy. Just type the first few letters of two or three words and search results will begin to appear. For example, if you are looking up James Patterson in the catalog, just type “ja pat.” Once you find the title you’re looking for, you can place a hold on it right from your phone. And, if you are signed up for the library’s new circulation text notification service, you’ll get a text on that same phone as soon as it’s ready to be picked up. If not, then you will get notification by email or regular mail, whichever you have selected.

The BCPL Mobile app is available for download free from iTunes, Google Play and Amazon, Windows 8 Desktop and Windows 8 Phone. It was developed by Boopsie Inc., which has helped more than 250 libraries and universities create apps.

With the app, you can also access all of the same great research, database and downloading services BCPL provides through its website, including Zinio eMagazines, Freading eBooks, Freegal Music, Freegal Movies and Television, OverDrive, 3M Cloud Library, Tutor.com, Mango Languages, Rocket Languages, Chilton Auto, A to Z Databases, Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) and EBSCOHost and Gale databases.

You can also use the mobile app to connect with BCPL through its many social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.

For more information on the library’s new app and what it can do, just give us at call: 606.329.0090

Do you have a Boyd County Public Library card in your wallet or purse? Pull it out.

That powerful little piece of plastic now gives you access to thousands of free streaming movies and television shows. That’s because BCPL recently joined the Library Ideas network of Public Library websites, which offers access to the Freegal Movies and Television Service.

Freegal (the name is derived from “free and legal”) is a new digital service with access to thousands of feature films and television episodes from major content providers.

There is no software to download and the service is accessed conveniently from your computer through BCPL’s website – click on the Freegal free streaming movies banner – or by downloading the Freegal Movies & TV app on your smartphone or other mobile device. Once you do that, just open the service and enter your zip code, select Boyd County Public Library, enter your library card number and PIN. That’s it. You are ready to watch!

At present, Freegal Movies is a browsing site (not a search site). You can go through the featured selections on the home page, or you can browse through New Arrivals, Most Popular or the Library Picks at the bottom of the page.

Once you make your selection, simply press on the image, and then press play. A screen will pop up and the movie or television show starts. You can expand it to full screen, fast forward, rewind, pause or adjust the volume.

Under the terms of the agreement, registered BCPL card holders can stream three videos per week from the Freegal Movies& TV at no cost. The library is underwriting the purchase of the content.

We are very excited to offer our customers yet another free service that delivers great content, compatibility with lots of devices and simplicity of use. We think Freegal Movies & TV will be incredibly popular, and will help the library further transition into the digital age.

The service offers several selections in the most popular categories, and new content is added monthly. Everyone with a valid BCPL library card and PIN number can watch three movies or television episodes a week. Each selection can be watched multiple times during a 48-hour viewing period. Your account resets on Monday at 12:01 a.m. – and you are ready to get three more selections for the new week.

If you have any questions, or need assistance with accessing this or any other library service, you can ask at any of our public service desks or call 606.329.0090.

]]>http://thebookplace.org/free-movies-tv/feed/0Oh, the stuff you can do!!http://thebookplace.org/oh-the-stuff-you-can-do/
http://thebookplace.org/oh-the-stuff-you-can-do/#commentsTue, 22 Oct 2013 18:10:42 +0000http://thebookplace.org/?p=14947Continue reading →]]>Just in time for Halloween – use your Boyd County Public Library card to checkout a ghost-hunting kit!

A kit to explore paranormal activities is just one of the many new and unusual items in the Checkout Your Community program at BCPL. Other items you might not expect to be able to take home with your library card include night vision goggles, metal detectors, fishing poles and a Frisbee golf set.

We also recently added chess and checkers sets to the collection.

It’s all part of our philosophy at BCPL to let patrons check out experiences that take them beyond the physical walls of the library. Yes, that experience could be found in a book, but it could also be discovered by checking out a pass to tour the Ashland Fire Department, or by playing a few games at the Ashland Tennis Center, or by exploring the many fitness activities at the Ashland Area YMCA.

The goal of this new lending program, which was launched in July, is simple: to introduce library card holders (BCPL has more than 40,000) to the community’s activities and organizations by allowing them to check out a pass or equipment to try an activity that interests them. So far the response has been incredible. “Wow,” “Cool” and “Are you serious?” are just some of the reactions we’ve gotten from patrons when they first learn about Checkout Your Community.

One of the most popular places at Boyd County Public Library is the genealogy department. With its knowledgeable staff and terrific resources, the department is a busy place seven days a week.

But October has special meaning to genealogists, and gives a great reason to check out a local treasure you might have missed up to this point.

October is designated in many states, including Kentucky, as Family History Month. It’s a great time to start looking up your family’s rich past. And as always, we are ready to help you, in lots of ways.

We have a variety of programs planned (all at the Main Branch), and a used book sale from Oct. 15 to 31. The programs include:

Old Movies of Ashland: Oct. 9, 2 p.m.

Beginning Genealogy: Oct. 16, 2 p.m., and Oct. 23, 6 p.m.

Historic Bath Avenue Homes slideshow: Oct. 17, 2 p.m.

Using Footnote.com: Oct. 22, 2 p.m.

Using Ancestry.com: Oct. 22, 6 p.m.

Historic Buildings of Downtown Ashland slideshow: Oct. 24, 2 p.m.

The programs are free, and will take place in either the meeting room, or the Minnie C. Winder genealogy room on the second floor. Speaking of the Winder room … it contains an amazing collection of print resources, records on microfiche, newspapers on microfilm, and free access to databases. And you can’t beat the combined years of experience of the staff (Jim, Jim, Judy and Charles) when it comes to helping you get started, or continuing your search.

Here’s just a sampling of the rich resources available to everyone: Kentucky Census data from 1810 to 1940; Kentucky birth, marriage and death records; Ohio death records; The (Ashland) Independent from 1922 to present; Boyd County Historical Society records; the Arnold Hanner’s photograph collection; charcoal furnace records; and free access to Ancestry.com and other genealogy databases.

If you have been curious about your family tree, but just aren’t sure where to start, then you don’t have any more excuses. Now is the time!

When Congress first passed a resolution in 2001 establishing Family History Month, Sen. Orrin Hatch said, “By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family.” How true.

Here are some other suggestions of ways you can celebrate your family this month:

Create a family cookbook. Use heirloom recipes, and maybe add some photos – it’s a great way to preserve memories of favorite meals shared by your family over the years. To get started, contact your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and ask them to send a few of their favorite dishes, along with a story about where they got the recipe.

Record your family’s stories. Whether it’s on audiotape, videotape or in journals, recording your family’s history is a fun way to bring the generations together, and it ensures that your family stories will be preserved.

Take a trip back home. Gather the family and take a trip to the old family homestead, the house where you were born, the places you played as a child, or the cemetery where your relatives are buried. Or perhaps go to a museum or event that relates to the history of your family.

Start a family web site. This place can serve as a meeting spot for family members that live far apart. It can also be a great place to share family photos, recipes and even genealogy research. A family Facebook page is also an option – invite only family members to join.

Get the kids involved. Turn the family history research into a detective game, and start them on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to genealogy.

Make a heritage gift. The holidays are fast approaching, and what better present for family than something that showcases your shared heritage. How about a photo ornament? Or a heritage quilt? The receiver is sure to love it.

For more information on all the genealogy resources or the Family History Month programs at Boyd County Public Library, call (606) 329-0518, ext. 1500.

It’s October, a time for creepy, crawly, spooky things to emerge … and for the newest classroom from Tutor.com! The online tutoring service available to all Boyd County Public Library has some great new features designed to make your studying, homework and test preparation all the more easier and useful.

Here at the Library, we want to help take the fear out of your school work. So, as a special treat– we’re giving away candy bars to those who use the service the last two weeks of October (more on that at the end).

Tutor.com is an online service provided by Boyd County Public Library (and many other libraries nationwide) that connects students with a real, live tutor. Each student works one-on-one with their tutor and gets a specialized learning environment suited to their own needs. Tutors do not provide answers to the student’s homework; instead they focus on finding the best way to help the student better understand the concepts behind the question. Several methods may be used to achieve this goal of understanding, including providing demonstrations, using guided questions to help the student think through the problem, discussing the concepts behind the question, observing the student’s methodology and providing feedback and offering additional opportunities for practice. The newest classroom, released this fall, works with any smartphone, tablet, computer or other device that lets you access the internet. No downloads or special software is required.

Tutors work with students from K-12, beginning college courses and even adults in the workplace. Tutors are provided in math, science, social studies and English. Students will find a new feature later this month – a specialized Test Center help to get one-on-one training and tips for exams such as the SAT and the ACT. You can get help in more than 60 testing areas.

There’s also the new Write Tutor Center, where experts provide help on reports, essays and papers.

Tutors are professors, graduate assistants, teachers and professionals in the educational field. All tutors are based in the U.S. or Canada and undergo a seven-year state and Federal background check. Bilingual Spanish tutors are also available. More than 2,500 accredited tutors are employed and are available seven days a week from 2 to 11 p.m. Tutor.com is closed on New Years Day; Independence Day; Thanksgiving; and Christmas.

Tutor.com allows students to create a unique account that will keep track of their sessions for them. They can easily access previous sessions and even request previous tutors that they’ve already worked with!

Tutor.com should always be accessed via the Library’s website: thebookplace.org. You will be asked to input your Library card number (14 digits, no spaces, located on the back of the card) to use the service. Once logged in, you are free to start a tutoring session, create a unique username and password, or use the SkillsCenter (available 24/7). In the SkillsCenter you’ll find all different types of study tools, including fun things like flash cards for many different subjects, practice tests and worksheets, helpful websites and even instructional videos that demonstrate how to solve math problems.

Adults can use the service too! Looking to reenter the job market and feel like your resume is a little blasé? Tutor.com help you improve your resume – and very quickly. Just upload your resume and a tutor will review it and email it back to you with suggestions within 24 hours.

BCPL is running a special promotion from Oct. 15 to 31. Any student who brings in proof of a tutoring session (this can be a print out of your session, or simply showing it to us on your device) will receive a free full-size candy bar. Also, if you post a screenshot of your session on the library’s Instagram page (thebookplace), you will be entered into a drawing for a whole bag of candy!

Just bring your tutoring session into any branch and show it to the staff at the front desk, or at the reference desk at the Main Branch. It’s our way of giving you a treat this Halloween season for trying one of our favorite study tricks – tutor.com!

]]>http://thebookplace.org/dont-let-bad-grades-haunt-you/feed/0Checkout Your Community at night!http://thebookplace.org/checkout-your-community-at-night/
http://thebookplace.org/checkout-your-community-at-night/#commentsFri, 27 Sep 2013 15:57:32 +0000http://thebookplace.org/?p=14891Continue reading →]]>Without a doubt, I have the best job ever. I get to be part of innovative ideas that offer so much to current library users and entice new users! If you’ve been in the library or read the paper in the past few month’s you have heard about the library’s new collection, “Checkout Your Community.” It’s a way to let BCPL card holders explore their community beyond the walls of the library, by checking out passes to loc

al attractions and a variety of recreational equipment.

How did we come up with this, you might be wondering? A supervisor, who’d recently returned from a conference on the rewards of taking risks, was checking in a pass to the Highlands Museum & Discovery Center, which we’d started offering a few months before. He realized that there were many more “experiences” we could offer. He brought his idea into my office and before he left we were both grinning from ear to ear thinking about all the items we were about to add to the collection for people to take home and try.

So, imagine my delight when that same supervisor, Ben Nunley, recently suggested adding night vision goggles to the Checkout Your Community collection. “This way patrons can check out their community at night!,” was the phrase he used to sell me on the idea. (Actually he had me at “how about adding night vision goggles?”)

As soon as they were available I put myself on hold and checked them out. I couldn’t wait to get home. It was hard to patiently wait for the skies to darken, which in mid-August was about 9:30 p.m. But, finally, it was time. I turned out all the lights, took my goggles, and stepped onto the deck. I slipped the black goggles on my head, turned them on, and ran through all the adjustments.

Just like in the movies, everything turned eerily green. Bushes stood out as giant sentinels; the rose bushes made weird shapes; and the fence took on the look of a fortress. It took about 90 seconds for every scary, suspenseful movie I’d ever seen to pop into my head: the ones where the bad guy stalks the unsuspecting coed or the good guy gets attacked by some creature, all while looking through night vision goggles.

I just about scared myself silly. I whipped off the goggles to find myself completely in the dark. I immediately went back in the house, got my heart rate back to something near normal, and worked up enough courage to try them again, inside this time. That’s when every scene in a scary old house came into clear, green view. I was completely creeped out – but in a good way. I cannot wait to try the infrared goggles we’re adding next!

Your next adventure starts in your own back yard. Come to the library and try the goggles, or spend time on an outdoor tennis court, or go on a tour of the Catlettsburg fire and police stations, or even play a game of Frisbee golf.

Checkout Your Community on the shelves of the Boyd County Public Library.